Internal bile diversion--a new model for the study of cholesterol metabolism.

Biliary diversion in different ways has been studied as a prevention against induced hypercholesterolemia in experimental animals. A new model for the study of cholesterol metabolism is described in dogs in this paper. The technique consists in ligation and division of the common bile duct and interposition of an isoperistaltic loop of jejunum between the gallbladder and urinary bladder. This technique is free of complications such as diarrhea, infection, and peptic ulceration that are seen in other biliary diversion models, and it is tolerated well by the animals. This requires further study for its effectiveness in the prevention of experimental hypercholesterolemia and subsequent development of arteriosclerosis.